Occupational exposure levels to benzene in Italy: findings from a national database

Scarselli, Alberto; Binazzi, Alessandra; Marzio, Davide Di

doi:10.1007/s00420-011-0616-9

Cited by 14 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…The main limitations of the SIREP database are the inhomogeneous territorial coverage and the underrepresentation of some economical activities, as already underlined in previous studies (27,28). Data collection and reporting for the SIREP system is under the responsibility of the employer, and we observed that the number of exposure measurements differed by industrial sector and firm size.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 59%

Appraisal of levels and patterns of occupational exposure to 1,3-butadiene

Scarselli¹,

Corfiati²,

D³

et al. 2017

Scand J Work Environ Health

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Objectives 1,3-butadiene is classified as carcinogenic to human by inhalation and the association with leukemia has been observed in several epidemiological studies. The aim of this study was to evaluate data about occupational exposure levels to 1,3-butadiene in the Italian working force. Methods Airborne concentrations of 1,3-butadiene were extracted from the Italian database on occupational exposure to carcinogens in the period 1996-2015. Descriptive statistics were calculated for exposure-related variables. An analysis through linear mixed model was performed to determine factors influencing the exposure level. The probability of exceeding the exposure limit was predicted using a mixed-effects logistic model. Concurrent exposures with other occupational carcinogens were investigated using the two-step cluster analysis. Results The total number of exposure measurements selected was 23 885, with an overall arithmetic mean of 0.12 mg/m3. The economic sector with the highest number of measurements was manufacturing of chemicals (18 744). The most predictive variables of the exposure level resulted to be the occupational group and its interaction with the measurement year. The highest likelihood of exceeding the exposure limit was found in the manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products. Concurrent exposures were frequently detected, mainly with benzene, acrylonitrile and ethylene dichloride, and three main clusters were identified. Conclusions Exposure to 1,3-butadiene occurs in a wide variety of activity sectors and occupational groups. The use of several statistical analysis methods applied to occupational exposure databases can help to identify exposure situations at high risk for workers' health and better target preventive interventions and research projects.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 59%

Appraisal of levels and patterns of occupational exposure to 1,3-butadiene

Scarselli¹,

Corfiati²,

D³

et al. 2017

Scand J Work Environ Health

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“…The main limitations of SIREP database are the inhomogeneous territorial coverage and the under-representation of some economical activities, as already underlined in previous studies [ 15 , 17 , 23 ]. Data collection and reporting for the SIREP database are under the responsibility of the employer, and we observed that the number of exposure measurements differed by industrial sector and workforce size.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender differences in occupational exposure to carcinogens among Italian workers

et al. 2018

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BackgroundMany carcinogenic chemicals are still used or produced in several economic sectors. The aim of this study is to investigate differences in occupational exposure patterns to carcinogens by gender in Italy.MethodsInformation about the most common carcinogens recorded in the Italian occupational exposures database (SIREP) for the period 1996–2015 was retrieved. Descriptive statistics were calculated for exposure-related variables (carcinogenic agent, occupational group, economic activity sector, and workforce size). The chi-square(χ2) test was used to verify differences between genders, and logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association between gender and risk of having higher exposure levels, after adjusting for age. Concurrent exposures to multiple carcinogens were investigated using the two-step cluster analysis.ResultsA total of 166,617 exposure measurements were selected for 40 different carcinogens. Exposed workers were only in a small proportion women (9%), and mostly aged 20–44 years (70%) in both genders. Women were more likely to be exposed than men to higher levels for several carcinogens even after correction for age at exposure, and the exposure level was significantly (p < 0.01) associated with occupation, economic sector and workforce size. The five main clusters of co-exposures identified in the entire dataset showed a differential distribution across economic sectors between genders.ConclusionsThe exposures to occupational carcinogens have distinguishing characteristics in women, that are explained in part by work and job segregation. Because of the presence of high-exposed groups of female workers in many industrial sectors, further research and prevention efforts are recommended.

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“…Currently, the SIREP exposure surveillance system covers a large part of the industrial sectors entailing carcinogenic exposure risk. Weaknesses and strengths of the SIREP system have been extensively described elsewhere . In brief, data collection and selection of analytic/sampling method are under the responsibility of the employer, some potential factors affecting Ni air concentrations are not always reported (eg, environmental conditions or control measures), and the number of exposure measurements are not evenly distributed among industrial sectors and by firm size (eg, small firms results underreported).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nickel compounds in the workplaces: Occupations and activities involving high‐risk exposures in Italy

Scarselli

Marzio

Marinaccio

et al. 2018

American J Industrial Med

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Background Nickel (Ni) compounds have been classified as carcinogenic to humans. The aim of the study is to evaluate exposures to Ni at workplaces in Italy. Methods Data on Ni compounds were collected from an occupational exposure registry. Statistical analysis was carried out for exposure‐related variables. The number of workers potentially exposed was estimated for selected industrial sectors. Concurrent exposures with other occupational carcinogens were investigated using two‐step cluster analysis. Results Overall 10 083 measurements were analyzed during 1996‐2016, having a geometric mean of 2.93 μg/m3. Most exposures occurred in manufacture of metal products (50%) and among metal finishing machine operators (46%). A total of 56 046 workers potentially exposed to Ni was estimated. Concurrent exposures were frequently detected, mainly with chromium VI and cobalt compounds. Conclusions Systematic recording of occupational exposures provides a data source that allows recognition of high risk situations for workers’ health and helps improve exposure assessment in epidemiologic studies.

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Occupational exposure levels to benzene in Italy: findings from a national database

Abstract: Occupational benzene exposure is still widespread in many different industries, and proactive measures are needed to reduce its impact on the workers' health. The potential of occupational exposure databases as a source of data for exposure assessment is confirmed.

Cited by 14 publications

References 27 publications

Appraisal of levels and patterns of occupational exposure to 1,3-butadiene

Appraisal of levels and patterns of occupational exposure to 1,3-butadiene

Gender differences in occupational exposure to carcinogens among Italian workers

Nickel compounds in the workplaces: Occupations and activities involving high‐risk exposures in Italy

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